Protective device for trolley systems



K. A. SIMMCN AND L. M. ASPINWALL.

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR TROLLEY SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-28. I915- 1,308,1 20. Patented July 1, 1919.

ATTORNEY 'mB COLUMBIA PLANOIJRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL A. SIMMON, OF EDGEWOOI) PARK, AND LOUIS M. ASPINWALL, OF \VILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR TROLLEY SYSTEMS.

To (All whom it may concern Be it known that we, KARL A. SlMMoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and LOUIS M. AsrINwALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsyl vania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Protective Devices for Trolley Systems, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to protective devices for electric trolley systems, and it has special reference to devices for preventing injury or loss of life to persons mounting upon the roofs of electric locomotives or trolley cars.

One object of our invention is to provide a simple and effective trolley-operating device for electric locomotives which shall embody means for automatically lowering the pantograph or other trolley device when a person ascends to the roof of the locomotive by the usual steps or ladder.

Another object of our invention is to provide automatic means, in addition to the foregoing device, for short-circuiting the trolley system when a person ascends to the roof of the car.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an electric locomotive provided with a trolley of the pantograph type and equipped with a protective device constructed in ac-- cordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a view, partially in fragmentary end elevation and partially in diagram, showing a modification of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1

and also indicating an arrangement of cir cuits. for applying the principles of our invention to a multiple-unit train. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing aportion of the mecha nism illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of another portion of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing. an electric locomotive 1 is shown provided with a currentcollecting-trolley 2, of the pantograph type, supported upon the roof of the locomotive by means of the usual insulated supports 3. Attached to the side of the car is a step r, which should be the first of a series of steps leading tdthe roof of the tar, the remain.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 28, 1915.

Patent-ed Jul 1, 1919.

Serial No. 47,882.

ing steps being omitted for the sake of clearness. The step 1 is preferably supported and maintained in the position shown by means of a compression spring 5 surroundlIlg a rod 6-, which is attached to the step 4 and which'passes freely through a stationary collar 7 attached to the side of the locomotive. Secured at its lower end to the step 4 is a vertical rod 8, the upper end of which is pivotally connected to one arm 9 of a bell crank lever which is pivotally attached to a stationary support 10. To the remaining arm 11 of the bell crank lever is pivotally attached a link 12, the other end of which is pivoted to one arm 13 of a bell crank lever which is mounted upon a vertical pivotal support 14 secured to the roof of the locomotive. The remaining arm 15 of this bell crank lever is pivotally attached to one end of a rod 16, to the other end of which is connected a latching pin 17 associated with a contact-making device 18. It will be evident that, when the step 4 is deressed, the train of linkage mechanism just escribed will serve to draw the latching pin to the left in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. This movement of the latching pin releases the contact-making member 18 which is constructed as follows:

A cylindrical bushing 19 is rigidly secured to the roof of the locomotive and is providedwith a side opening surrounded by an integral sleeve 20 and adapted to receive the latching pin 17, which is provided with a small collar 21 normally pressed to the right,- Fig. 4, bymeans of a spring 22. The inter nal bore of the bushing 19 is enlargednear the top of the bushing to receive the lower end of a sleeve 23, within which is adapted to slide arod 24, provided, at its upper end, with a slightly enlarged contact member; 25 and carrying below the member 25 a collar. 26 having a depending flange 27, A'helical spring. 28 surrounds the sleeve 23 and is confined between the collar 26 and the upper end of the bushing 19, as shown in Fig. 4. The rod 241 is provided with an annular groove 29 adapted to be engaged by the latching pin 17 when the rod is in the position shown in the drawing, in which posi time the spring 28 s under compresslon.

the spring 28 and the contact member engages a correspondingly shaped contact member 30 which is secured to a stationary bracket 31 attached to the pant-ograph 2 and in intimate electrical contact therewith. A flexible conductor 3:2 connects the collar 26 to a grounding conductor 33 secured to the bushing 19 and the conductor 33 should be attached to the frame of the locomotive in such a manner as to insure a good grounded connection.

The rod 24 extends through the bushing 19 into the interior of the locomotive and carries an insulating sleeve 3% upon which is mounted an annular contact member 35 by means of which the lowering and raising of the pantograph 2 is elcctromeumatically controlled. The distance from the contact 25 to the contact 30 is greater than the distance that the contact member 35. must travel to cause the operation of the pantog'aph lowering mechanism, so that ordinarily the collector will be out of contact with the trolley wire before the contacts 25 and 30 are brought together. The lower end of the rod 24 is provided with an operating handle 36.

Referring particularly to the diagrammatic portion of Fig. 2, two airs of stationary contact members 37 and 38 are shown associated with the contact member 35. The contact members 37 are included in a circuit comprising conductors 39 and :0. a battery 41, conductor 42, a coil 43 forming a part of a magnetically operated valve it and a conductor -il-5. The circuit through the coil 43 may be completed independently of the contact members 37 by means of the usual trolley down switch l5? This circuit is open when the contact member 35 and the switch 45 are in the position shown, and this is the normal operating condition of the circuit. \Vhen, however, the depression of the step i operates to withdraw the latching pin 17 from engagement with the rod 2%, the rod moves upward and carries the contact member 35 into position to engage the contact members 37 and thereby to close the circuit above described. The coil 43, being thus energized, operates the valve ist to admit compressed air from a supply pipe to a pipe l6 con'ni'ninicating with the usual panto graph-operating cylinder l7. \Vhen the coil i3 is de'cnergized, it establishes a connection from the cylinder at? to the atmosphere to release the pressure in the cylinder. The arrangement of the parts is such that when the step -i is depressed, the p'ant'ograph 2 will immediately be lowered. In the form of device shown in Fig. l, the lowering of the pantograph is effected by means of cam arms 4:8 that are forced out from the opposite ends of the cylinder 527 by the air pressure transmitted through the pipe 46.

The pantograph is maintained in its low est position by means of a pivoted latch i9 which is adapted to be engaged by a suitable projection secured to the movable parts of the antograph. The latch -.t9 is normally maintained in the position shown by means of a rod 50 secured to a sl n'ing-pressed piston 51 contained within a cylinder 52. hen it desired to raise the pantograph into contact with the trolley conductor, compressed air is supplied to the cylinder through a pipe 53, the admission of air being controlled by means of a magnetically operated valve 5i, the operating coil 55 of which is energized from the battery i1. \Vhen dcenergized, the valve Si is adapted to establish a connection to the atmosphere and thereby exhaust the fluid from the cylinder 52. The circuit which includes the coil 55 and the battery i-l also includes the contact members 38 with which the contact member 35 is shown in engagement in Fig. 2. It is therefore evident that the valve operat-ing coil 55 cannot be energized unless the Contact member 35 is in the position shown, in which position the shortcircuiting contact mem bers 25 and 30 are out of contact, and that, therefore, the. pantograph cannot be raised while the short-circ'uiting conductors are in contact.

111 Fig. 2, we have shown the circuits necessary for operating the pantographs of two cars in multiple and for insuring that neither of the pantographs can be raised until the shortcircuiting devices associated with both of the cars are in the disengaged position. Be inning with the contact members 38 am, 35, the circuit controlling the raising of the pantographs includes the conductors 39 and 4:0, battery stl, conductor 42', coil 55, a conductor 56, a coil 57 controlling the pantograph-raising air valve of the second unit of the multiple train, and a conductor 58, in which is interposed the usual trolley up switch 59. It will be observed that the coils and 57 are in series-circhit relation and that, therefore, neither can be operated until the circuit is complete which is only the case when the contact i'nember 35 completes the circuit between the contact members 33 and when the contact meinbers 25 and 30 are separated. For lowering the trolley of the second unit of the train, contact members 138, similar to the contact members 38, are connected in circuit with a valve operating coil 113 and with train line conductors 60 by means of which energy is transmitted from the battery alto the contact members 138 and the coil 1&3.

It will be evident from the foregoing 'description, and from the drawing, that assoon as a person begins to ascend to the root of the locomotive and. depresses the step 4-, the pantograph will be lowered and that, even if the pantograph lowering mechanism trolley circuit will be positively and immediately short-circuited by the engagement of the contact members 25 and 30. The safety of workmen and inspectors, who must frequently go upon the roofs of locomotives, is therefore assured. Furthermore, when the pantographs belonging to the several units of a multiple train have been lowered, they cannot again be raised for operation of the train until all of the shortcircuiting connections in the train are opened.

The device which we have specifically shown and described is capable of very many modifications. For example, the lowering of the pantograph may be made dependent upon the depression of the first of a series of steps and the short circuiting contact may be independently effected by the depression of the second step of the series, as illustrated in Fig. 1, thus insuring the proper sequence of operations, in which the pantograph is frst lowered and the shortcircuiting contact afterward made. In this device, the rod 6 of the first step of the series is provided with a contact member 35 which engages the cooperating contact member 37 when the step is depressed. These cooperating contact members respectively correspond to the contact members 35 and 37, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Another desirable modification consists in effecting the lowering of the trolley in response to the movement of a hand rail near the edge of the locomotive roof. Such a hand rail is shown at 70 in Fig. 1, and it may conveniently be associated with the bell crank lever 911 as shown in Fig. 2, so that, if the person should mount to the roof of the locomotive by means of an independent ladder and should grasp the hand rail 70, the pantograph will be lowered in the same manner and by the same train of mechanisms as if the step 4 had been depressed. While the diagram in Fig. 2 shows an arrangement applied to a train of two locomotives, it is obvious that a greater number may readily be associated in the same manner. It is to be understood that the foregoing modifications, as well as all others which fall within the scope of the appended claims, are comprehended within our invention, which may be applied to all forms of trolley operating systems, Whether pneumatic, electro-pneumatic or mechanical.

We claim as our invention :1

1. An electric vehicle comprising an overhead trolley and means responsive to the movements of a person ascending to the roof of the vehicle for automatically lowering the trolley. I I 4 2. An electric vehicle comprising an overhead trolley and means responsive, to the movements of a person ascending to the roof of the vehicle for automatically lowering the trolley and for short-eireaiting the mic trolley if it should not be promptly lowered.

3. An electric vehicle comprising an overhead trolley, means responsive to the movements of a person ascending to the roof of the vehicle for automatically lowering the trolley and for short-circuiting the said trolley and means for maintaining the trolley in its lowered position until the said short-circuiting means are rendered inoperative.

4. An electric vehicle comprising an overhead trolley and means responsive to the movements of a person ascending to the roof of the vehicle for automatically lowering the trolley, the said means comprising a latch adapted to control the lowering of the trolley and means for mechanically operating the said latch.

5. An electric vehicle comprising an overhead trolley and means for automatically lowering the trolley comprising a springpressed contact member, an electric circuit adapted to be controlled by the said contact member and including trolley-actuating means, means for normally maintaining the said contact member in inoperative position and means adapted to be automatically actuated in response to the movements of a person ascending to the roof of the vehicle for releasing the said contact member and permitting it to assume its contact-making position.

6. In an electric vehicle, the combination with a supply-circuit conductor and a current-collecting device adapted to have sliding engagement with said conductor, of a contact device normally maintained in a retracted position and released by a person ascending the roof of the vehicle, and means controlled by said device for lowering and for short-circuiting the current-collecting device.

7 In an electric vehicle, the combination with a supply-circuit conductor, and a current-collecting device adapted to engage said conductor, of means comprising a contact device normally maintained in a retracted position and released by a person ascending the roof of the vehicle for lowering and for short circuiting the current-collecting device. 8. An electric vehicle comprising an over head trolley, a contact member electrically connected to the said trolley, a movable con. tact member adapted to engage the said first-named member and provided with a grounding connection, means for normally maintaining thesaid contact members out of engagement and means responsive to the movements of a person ascending to the roof of the said vehicle for automatically bringing the said contact members into engagement.

t. A protective" device for electric vehiales comprising a control circuit, a; contact making member adapted to close the Said circuit and embodying a reciprocable member, contact members carried thereby, a spring tending to force the said rod into circuit-closing position, latching means for normally restraining the said rod from such movement, and means responsive to the movements of a person ascending to the roof of the said car for automatically withdrawing the said latch and releasing the said rod.

10. In an electric vehicle adapted to receive energy from a supply-circi'iit conductor, the combination with a current-collecting device adapted to have sliding engagement with said conductor, of means controlled by a person ascending the roof of the vehicle, for disengaging said currentcollecting device and said conductor and for gust, 1915.

KARL A. SIMMON. LOUIS M. ASPINWALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

